John Westberry (left), Ryan LaFave, Zachary Gresham and Amy Gill
Singing about mystic chants and hexes is something of a tricky proposition these days. Not because an association with the occult is likely to lead to persecution, like during the Salem witch trials — quite the opposite. Thanks to capitalism, items like Ouija boards and so-called magic-spell books are marketed as hipster tchotchkes. But there’s something practical to considering the supernatural: It can be a way of exploring the unknown, and in the process learning something about human nature. Look past the commodified, basic-witch bullshit, and there’s a real power in the things we can’t explain about our physical world, or the world of thoughts and feelings inside each of us.
Nashville’s The Mute Group taps directly into those mysteries on their debut album Sinister Hand, released via local label YK Records in January 2019. The intoxicating, shape-shifting sonic landscape includes classic vocal pop, electronically enhanced R&B and references to different kinds of sacred music — both in sound and subject matter. They often feel like incantations in some secret, ancient ritual, and that’s not totally off-base.
“[The] lyrics are pretty dark, about some pretty sinister stuff — a lot of adultery and witchy stuff,” says singer-guitarist Zachary Gresham. He’s speaking to the Scene by phone ahead of Friday’s show at The 5 Spot, where The Mute Group will play with other bands who’ve released albums via YK.
Each song tells a different story, but they’re all tied together by recognition of forces that are more powerful than us, which we discount at our peril. Some are internal, like the fear that drives the conflicts about faith in “Abuses and Superstitions,” or the lust and wounded pride that lead to a woman cursing her unfaithful husband in “Miriam.” Others are external, like the passage of time that slowly eats away at the meaning of languages in “AEIOU,” or the fire that burns the poor and the wealthy alike in “From the Island to the Mountain.”
For all of the complex convolutions involved, the sounds and narratives all flow together in a remarkably natural fashion. But as Gresham explains, the album is the result of a great deal of time and painstaking effort.
After his innovative folk-pop outfit Umbrella Tree had an amicable split in 2012, Gresham kept writing songs, but he didn’t have a band to bring his new music to life or a place to record it. Then he struck a deal with Amy and Jeremy Gill, two musicians with extensive training who make their living designing and building homes. A building they had access to provided an opportunity that seemed mutually beneficial.
“There was one room in the back with basically just junk,” Gresham says. “They said, ‘If you can facilitate us getting back into playing music, then you can just use this room.’ ”
Once the space was cleared out and made usable, Amy Gill started working with Gresham, adding her classical keyboard training and vocals to the mix. Soon, drummer John Westberry joined the fold, and they began working together as The Mute Group. The first song they released was the slightly Prince-ian “Brainplate in Eb” in late 2016, followed a few months later by “AEIOU.” Both of those songs were released along with beautiful, highly evocative music videos. That’s a tradition the group has continued with intricate, must-watch videos that expand on the narratives of “Abuses and Superstitions,” “From the Island to the Mountain” and “Miriam.”
But as the songs were slowly crystallizing into an album over the course of 2018, something was still missing. It turned out to be Gresham’s longtime friend and collaborator Ryan LaFave, who joined on bass, cementing the group’s rhythmic foundation.
“It wasn’t working out and we didn’t feel confident to play live,” Gresham says, recalling that the band considered a list of potential new members. “As soon as we sat down we all knew we wanted Ryan. … When Ryan came in, we really became a band.”
With a wide range of instrumental tones and textures to work with — as well as three singing voices — The Mute Group has been able to impress with its live show. The members convey all the complexities of their material in an organic and mesmerising way. And they’re already halfway through making a second album, which doesn’t seem like it will take nearly as long to finish as Sinister Hand.
“It’s been very natural,” says Gresham. “The arrangements have come together in some cases kind of eerily easily.”
